Shaped by natural disaster and civil war, the Guatemalan city of Antigua has a history as restless as the volcanic earth on which it sits. Creative studio Nada Duele is the latest practice of young makers reckoning with that heritage, both material and political. Its new collection traces a journey of displacement in five pieces handcrafted by local artisans, which becomes an exploration of their very disappearance.
‘Sudor Siliente’, designed by Nada Duele, handcrafted by Elvira Ramirez from Selva Savia in Chinautla, Guatemala. A reinterpreted traditional red clay tinaja fired in open flame and pierced with 34 metal nails from which hang 34 blown-glass drops. Each drop is a suspended breath of sweat; a tribute to the labor and sacrifice behind every handmade piece
The emigration of Guatemala’s skilled artisans is all too common: ‘It’s happening everywhere in our country,’ explains Nada Duele’s creative director Giselle MacDonald. Touched by the growing challenges facing her native Antigua, she founded the studio in 2019, later joining forces with long-time collaborator Mariano Orellana, who shared her approach to craft as a ‘tool for storytelling with care and conscience’.
‘Lo Que Nos Toca Jugar’, handcrafted by Oscar Cho and Belford Cristobal from Itza Wood in Petén, Guatemala
An exodus of Guatemalan talent (a number estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands each year) is one such challenge these designers have actually lived, not just observed. This series of objects – beautiful at first glance, unsettling at second – is born of a demand to translate that story. With families fractured, cultural identity unravelling, and an economy weakened by the loss of skilled work, it’s not only the past that’s slipping away, but the future of Guatemala with it.
‘La Remesa’, handcrafted by José Poroj from Jun Batz in Momostenango, Guatemala. A handwoven tapestry of a casa de remesa – the iconic brightly coloured, multistorey homes built with money sent from abroad– adorned with long tassels and yellow blown-glass drops. A complex portrait of hope and heaviness – sending light home while navigating darkness abroad
Nada Duele casts its makers not as victims or symbols, but as protagonists, narrating the real-life journey of one such artisan, who, struggling to sustain a dignified life, is forced to flee.
‘No Hay Luz Sin Sombra’, handcrafted by Alonzo Toscano in Antigua, Guatemala. 'Three forged candleholders with stone bases symbolise separation, sufocation, and silence. The iron twists and knots like language in the throat– an embodiment of fear, loneliness, and voicelessness in foreign lands'
For a collection pierced with pain, ‘Sudor Silente’ (silent sweat) seems an apt opener. Fired in molten flame and punctured with 34 metal nails, this jar is a tribute to toil and sacrifice, forged by invisible hands. An interpretation of the traditional red clay tinaja pot, it’s an example of the fusion of contemporary design with historic craft that is fast emerging across Central America. ‘But with artisans leaving in such numbers, we risk losing those tools and traditions with them,’ adds Orellana.
‘No Hay Luz Sin Sombra’
Other pieces toy with trust and betrayal, promise and peril. The iron arms of a series of candleholders rise from rough-hewn stone bases, twisting and tangling, gnarled and choking, ‘like a knot in the throat’. At each turn, the passage of displacement is weighted by ‘a sense of voicelessness, an inability to speak the native language, or even that gripping sense of fear’.
‘Cruzar No Es Flotar’, handcrafted by Alonzo Toscano and Fernando Castellanos in Antigua, Guatemala. A ceramic tile tray featuring the painted figure of a coyote, framed by blue wrought iron shaped like the Río Grande. A story of risk and survival – of trust, betrayal, and the treacherous paths toward promise
Satirical board game ‘Lo Que Nos Toca Jugar’ (what we have to play) began, at conception, as a game of chess, but quickly changed form – it was too strategic, too deliberate. This particular game, the designers realised, was ruled by chance. And to no one’s surprise, it comes with a twist; conventional playing pieces are swapped out for cleaning tools, baby bottles and spades, representing the new lives and jobs of the migrant craftspeople.
Pōhaku Vases; a one-of-a-kind design object created by melting recycled glass onto raw stone to create a zero-waste piece that combines multiple elements to represent the adaptability of nature
Carved out of native woods from the Petén jungle, the largest remaining tropical forest of Central America, this is the careful handiwork of female-founded enterprise Itza Wood. A frequent collaborator of Nada Duele, Itza Wood dedicates its practice to providing better employment opportunities for artisans, fighting the odds unfairly stacked against them.
‘Lo Que Nos Toca Jugar’ chess set
Nada Duele’s collection suggests there is cause for hope: ‘La Remesa’ (the remittance) is a handwoven tapestry of a traditional casa de remesa, the region’s brightly-coloured homes that are made with money sent back from overseas. Adorned with tassels and yellow glass-blown drops, the work is an uplifting, complex portrait of hope and heaviness, ‘sending light home while navigating darkness abroad’.
A version of this article appears in the October 2025 Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
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